YouTube Expands Ad-Supported Original Shows With Will Smith, Priyanka Chopra
YouTube announced its plans to add projects from Hollywood stars Will Smith and Priyanka Chopra to its slate of ad-supported originals during a presentation to advertisers in New York on Thursday.
YouTube unveiled its list of upcoming ad-supported originals during its Brandcast event held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Chief business officer Robert Kyncl announced the highlights include Smith and Chopra's projects.
'The Jump Off'
For Smith, the actor will celebrate his 50th birthday with a daring jump. The actor has accepted an ultimate fan challenge to jump from the helicopter. With a bungee cord attached to his body, the actor plans to jump out of the aircraft over the Grand Canyon. Cameras will follow the Suicide Squad actor around as he prepares for the jump.
This bold stunt, called The Jump Off, will stream on YouTube on Smith's birthday on Sept. 25. The project, from Westbrook Entertainment, aims to help raise awareness to charities.
Smith is bound to attract a lot of attention with The Jump Off. The announcement even already elicited gasps from the crowd at the music hall. The project also looks to increase the actor's followers. Smith already has 1.8 million subscribers since he launched his YouTube channel in December.
The action star shared a video about accepting the challenge on his YouTube page. In it, Smith strategizes on ways to make sure the helicopter bungee will be a success. He made a mock simulation and also laid his conditions for doing the dare. Apparently, it was the actor's idea to jump over the Grand Canyon and to do it for charity.
'If I Could Tell You Just One Thing'
Meanwhile, Chopra will host the series If I Could Tell You Just One Thing from Sundog Pictures. The show features the actress meeting and interacting with inspirational people, where she asks them advice on how to change the world. The Quantico star will travel across the globe to meet with politicians, environmentalists, and religious leaders.
Aside from Chopra and Smith's originals, YouTube has other A-list projects in mind to add to its ad-supported originals. These include NBA star LeBron James's Best Shot docu-series about Central High School Blue Devils in Newark, N.J. receiving mentorship from former Chicago Bulls point guard Jay Williams. The series will premiere in the Summer on YouTube's NBA channel.
